Trnava had a very good basis for the establishment of a university since medieval times – with the existence of high quality primary and later, also secondary education. Kolégium (College), a school similar to today’s grammar school, was founded here in 1616 by the Jesuit order, and only two years later more than 700 young men from throughout the Kingdom of Hungary were studying there. Generous contributions of the benefactors and church foundations made it possible to for candidates of lesser means to gain an education here. In 1619, Cardinal Peter Pázmaň built the dormitory of St.Vojtech (Adalbertinum) to meet the accommodation needs of poor students.Originally a one-floor building on the corner of present-day Hollého Street and Invalidská Street, opposite the St. John the Baptist Church, the Kolégium eventually took over the land plots of four older bourgeois houses. The rather simple architecture of these original buildings was creatively enriched by an early Baroque portal with a statue of St. Vojtech and the addition of a chapel in 1710. Despite the fact that education was neither compulsory, nor free at that time, the school gained the interest of many. In the 18th century, before compulsory education was adopted, around 20% of Trnava children attended the school, out of which almost 40% were girls.After the foundation of Trnava University, the Jesuit grammar school was not closed, but became associated with the university as a lower education degree institution. The school continued to exist even after the dissolving of the contemplative orders, such as the Jesuits, and the cancelation of the university. During this period, the school was taken over by the Benedictine order and after a merger with the archbishop lyceum, it was transformed into an eight-year grammar school. However, it did not operate at the same location. In the building of the former Adalbertinum, a vocational crafts school and a business school were established; the building also served as the first town library, and between 1908 and 1918, as a museum. Later, after a reconstruction which added a second floor, a primary school was established in the building, where the writer and publicist Peter Jilemnický worked as a teacher. Nowadays, it houses the Private Dance Conservatory of Dušan Nebyla, as well as Trnava University, so the Adalbertinum is the only Trnava University historical building that has been used, with only small breaks, for its original educational purposes.

 

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